We are the masterpiece of God’s Creation – the best in the
universe. When Allah thought about creating a human being, He held us in high
esteem and granted us honor and respect, even above His angels. He gave us
splendor.

“And had We willed We
could have set among

you angels to be
viceroys in the earth.”

(al-Quran 43:60)

“He it is Who has placed
you as viceroys of the

Earth and has exalted
some of you in rank above

others, that He may
try you by (the test of) that

which He has given
you. Lo! Your Lord is

swift in prosecution; and Lo! He verily is

Forgiving, Merciful.”

(al-Quran 6:165)

The above two verses from the Holy Quran tell the truth
about us – humans. If Allah had wanted, He could have appointed angels as
Viceroys in the earth. But He chose Man and exalted his status, above the
status of the angels, and then appointed him as His Viceroy in the earth. Alas!
Most of us are trying to prove that it was not a wise decision. We are opposing
what Allah wanted for us. We are revolting against Him. Unfortunately, we can
only hurt ourselves.

Vow! So amazing! Ponder upon the above verse of the Quran
and look at the depth of knowledge, the vision, the insight or the
farsightedness of the angels! God had just floated the idea of creating a man
but the angels knew immediately what that man was going to do in the earth! And
the man was not even created yet! Allah-o-Akbar! The angels knew that man would
be a trouble-maker. He would spread corruption and bloodshed in the earth. And
they were absolutely right!

Allah created Man as His Khalifa (Vice-Gerent) in the Earth.
Gerent is a Latin word (used in modern French for ‘Manager’) and as a verb it
means: To bear, to conduct, to manage or to govern. Some scholars have
translated the Arabic word ‘Khalifa’ as heir, viceroy, vice-gerent or
care-taker. Therefore, man is the “Vice-Gerent” (Deputy Manager) of God on
earth but he rules the world and behaves like Devil. Since the time Devil
disobeyed Allah and refused to fall in prostration in front of Adam, Allah had
declared him as a devout enemy of man. The irony is that man knows it and
acknowledges it too but still follows the Devil. This is revolt and merits
punishment. It is more than simple disobedience.

When we claim to be Muslims and then arrogantly go against
the commands of Allah, openly or discretely, it constitutes hypocrisy
(Munaafiqat) in Islam. And Allah has promised Munaafiqeen (hypocrites) a grave
punishment in the lowest part of Hell. Do we really understand that? I doubt.

Today, Muslims in general and Muslim leaders in particular,
are considered corrupt, inapt and incompetent because corruption flourishes in
all Arab countries and other Muslim states. All politicians are trying to make
easy money and live of others. They are so shameless that they even extort
money in the name of charity (hospitals, dispensaries, schools, food,
medicines, humanitarian projects, etc., etc.) and then transfer that money to
their off-shore bank accounts overseas. Thus they are set for a luxury life.
Others are plundering it while abusing authority and power. They don’t even
think for a moment that they are going to die tomorrow!

And that shows what kind of Muslims they are; how much they
fear Allah’s wrath; how much they care about others; and how much importance
they give to justice and fair-play in their society! They care about themselves
only. Allah tells us in the Quran in very plain words: “Remember Me, I’ll
remember you!” And if you don’t remember Him in this world, He’ll not remember
you in the Hereafter! Simple as that!

That’s not the Man Allah had created to play His Viceroy or
Vice-gerent in the earth. That man probably does not exist any more. The
poet-philosopher of the East, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal (or Allama Iqbal) said:

Where Is The
Man?

“My ancestors were
Brahmins. They spent

their lives in search
of God. I am spending

my life in search of
Man.”
― Dr. Muhammad Iqbal

When the Man becomes a beast, he starts killing other living
creatures including human beings. Adam’s son showed us that with the first
murder and his grand-grand-children are repeating the fete today in Syria,
Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Libya, Kashmir, Burma, etc., etc. The earth has
become the killing fields.

Man has lost his splendor.

What happened to all the education, research and knowledge?
All knowledge is useless if not used for the betterment of mankind; and if not
used by man to connect to his Creator, the Almighty.

All Knowledge Is Useless Until …

“Look at the evils of the world around you and protect
yourself from them. Our teachers give all the wrong messages to our youth,
since they take away the natural flare from the soul. Take it from me that all
knowledge is useless until it is connected with your life, because the
purpose of knowledge is nothing but to show you the splendors of yourself!” ― Dr. Muhammad Iqbal.

Man is capable of performing incredible fetes. He can catch
the stars and dwell at moon. He can travel through galaxies. He can conquer the
universe but cannot conquer his own desires and emotions! What a contrast!
Simply put: If you are disconnected from your base, you are lost. You become
nobody!

We are living with fake pride, fake love, fake news and fake
leaders. We have lost our direction and that’s why we have lost all respect,
dignity and honor. It hurts to see that we have lost our splendor. We are
fallen.

Stagnation is Death.

Enter Another
Dimention!

“Let this be our beautiful departure from stagnation! Let
our minds come alive; enter another dimension; go beyond the stars eagerly
struggling to find that which our naked eyes did not know existed! Rise like a
falcon born to soar and not be alone but be present amongst others.” ― Dr. Muhammad Iqbal.

We are one community and are supposed to help each other in
times of need. As human beings we should feel for others because we are all
parts of one great body and pieces of one big jigsaw puzzle. One without the
others is nothing. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said, as narrated by
An-Numan bin Bashir:

‘You see the believers as regards their being merciful among
themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one
body, so that if any part of the body is not well, the whole body suffers from
sleeplessness and fever.’

(Bukhari, vol 8, book 73, No.40).

People who make a difference in your life are not the ones
with the most credentials, most money, or the most awards and medals. They are
the people who care; who touched your heart and soul; who were there with a
kind and encouraging word when you were down.And that makes the difference.

Now, you try to be one of those and touch somebody’s soul.
Makea difference! Leave your footprints
on somebody’s life. And do it while you can!

Rumi says:

Strip away your pride, and put on humble clothes!

Wait for the illuminating openness,

As though your chest were filling with light,

As when God said,

“Did We not expand you?” (al-Quran 94:1)

Don’t look for it outside yourself.

You are the source of milk. Don’t milk others!

There is a milk fountain inside you.

Don’t walk around with an empty basket!

You have a channel into the ocean, and yet

You ask for water from a little pool!

Beg for that love expansion. Meditate only

on THAT! The Quran says:

“And He is with you.” (al-Quran 57:4)

There is a basket of fresh bread on your head,

And yet you go door to door asking for crusts!

Knock on your inner door! No other!

Mankind is one community. The best among us is not the one
who has achieved top position in sports, education, science, technology or arts.
These honors are good for one’s personal satisfaction. If one cannot use his
knowledge, expertise, skills and wealth for the benefit of other human beings,
it is worthless.

If we want to get rid of evil, we should strive for a
welfare society based on social justice. We should have a firm belief that
there is God up there and one day we will be answering questions while standing
in His court. That God-fearing spirit is developed only when you believe that
you are answerable to a Higher Authority than your corrupt government. So, raise
your level and educate yourself!

How Do You Relate To
This Universe?

The poet-philosopher of the East, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, asks:

“What is the character and general structure of the universe
in which we live? Is there a permanent element in the constitution of this
universe? How are we related to it? What place do we occupy in it, and what is
the kind of conduct that befits the place we occupy? These questions are common
to religion, philosophy, and higher poetry.”

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QURAN RECITATION

Al-Quran

The Guiding Light

WELCOME HOME

Assalaam-o-alaikum!

We are glad to see you here. We can accompany you home. By joining us, you'll, Insha-Allah, prepare yourself mentally and spiritually for your onward journey on the road less traveled. We are heading for Home - the promised Home. Allah says:

M. Javed Naseem

M. Javed Naseem (Jay Max) is a well-known journalist and broadcaster from Lahore (Pakistan). He is the author of six books. He has worked as a reporter and then sub-editor for daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; as sub-editor with the Pakistan Times, Lahore; and as editor of the weekly Community News, New York, NY, among others.He was an international broadcaster for radio Deutsche Welle (The Voice of Germany), Cologne, Germany; news editor and newscaster for Third World Broadcasting TV in New York; was producer & director of ‘Mabuhay’, an English language TV show for the Filipino community in New York. He had been an announcer at Radio Pakistan, Lahore; and Punjabi newscaster for Pakistan Television, Lahore. Before entering the field of professional journalism, he was a Lecturer/Instructor at the Govt. Commercial Training Institute, Lahore. He knows English, French, German, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Persian and some Arabic. He writes for Islamic websites. He is a Pakistani-American and now lives in retirement in Morocco, North Africa.Publications: The Way (Sunnah) of The Prophet (s.a.w.); God's Prescription - Al-Quran; A Wake-up Call; You Are Special; Stories of Prophets.